[Car-Addicted]

So the question is, will Amazon be setting the price? One has to assume that Amazon is not doing this for good will so the dealer will be paying for the referral or in other words the consumer will pay the Amazon fee.

[XutvJet]

I thought Costco has been doing something similar for a few decades now.

[Car-Addicted]

TrueCar runs a program through Sam's Club so the so as ususl I think the distinction is in the details.
https://samsclub.truecar.com/samsclub-landing/

IMO all these runarounds result in higher consumer cost. There is one good way to have a better experience at an Automotive Dealership. Know what is a good deal and what you can afford and what your trade in is worth. If you don't get what you want just walk out. Leave the auto sales person pissed and not you.

[xander_g]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Just stirring the pot
Buying from Amazon Doesn't Support Small Business
1) At the height of the pandemic—most of 2020—Amazon thrived.
Our point is quite simple: when you buy from Amazon, you are not supporting small business which is key to a green economy.
2) “We have heard so many heartbreaking stories of small businesses who sunk significant time and resources into building a business and selling on Amazon, only to have Amazon poach their best-selling items and drive them out of business," subcommittee chairman David Cicilline said.
3) If small businesses want this potential growth, however, they are forced to rely on Amazon, undermining their agency as an independent business. Last year, Amazon kicked a small business off its site and seized the inventory, but in November, the merchant won its legal battle, earning one of the biggest acknowledgements of Amazon’s mistreatment of small businesses.
4) Earlier this year, the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law found Amazon “has monopoly power over many small- and medium-sized businesses.”
5) Amazon can use its monopolistic power and influence in numerous ways, from the aforementioned copycatting to fixing prices.
In May 2021, attorney general of Washington, D.C., Karl Racine, filed a lawsuit against Amazon for this exact practice.

https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/5-...all-businesses

During their covid expansion, amazon acquired a bunch of warehouse space here and now they are trying to sublease it, a lot of it actually.

[xander_g]

Will heated seats and infotainment options be included in my prime membership?

[Car-Addicted]

Not sure it is germane but:
Amazon stock plunges as growth slows
Amazon reported a net loss of $3.8 billion for the quarter ended March 31, a sharp drop from the same period last year, when it made an $8.1 billion profit. It was also a big miss from the $4.4 billion profit that analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast.
The company attributed the loss largely to a $7.6 billion loss from its investment in electric automaker Rivian Automotive. Rivian, into which Amazon led a $700 million investment in 2019, has seen its stock plummet more than 75% since its blockbuster November 2021 IPO.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/tech/...oss/index.html

Not sure this whole car thing works well for Amazon?

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Not sure it is germane but:
Amazon stock plunges as growth slows
Amazon reported a net loss of $3.8 billion for the quarter ended March 31, a sharp drop from the same period last year, when it made an $8.1 billion profit. It was also a big miss from the $4.4 billion profit that analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast.
The company attributed the loss largely to a $7.6 billion loss from its investment in electric automaker Rivian Automotive. Rivian, into which Amazon led a $700 million investment in 2019, has seen its stock plummet more than 75% since its blockbuster November 2021 IPO.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/tech/...oss/index.html

Not sure this whole car thing works well for Amazon?

That article is from April 2022

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

That article is from April 2022

And your point is?

"The company attributed the loss largely to a $7.6 billion loss from its investment in electric automaker Rivian Automotive."

Sounds like Amazon is not doing well in the Automotive market.

[allinon72]

Has all the makings of a PR stunt that benefits both companies. Just think of all the articles that will be written about the "blasphemy of buying a car on Amazon, why who would do such a thing?!?"

[Car-Addicted]

MINI Direct Sales Model Delayed In Germany:
Loved or loathed by brick-and-mortar dealers, direct sales have been in the planning stages at the BMW Group for years. However, the agency model is going to take a bit longer than planned for MINI in Germany, according to a new report from Automobilwoche.
As planned, the agency model will be rolled out on January 1, 2024, in Sweden, Poland, and Italy. Additional countries throughout Europe are going to follow, and as previously announced, direct sales are not planned for the United States or Australia. The core BMW brand will adopt this strategy on the Old Continent from 2026.
But what exactly are direct sales? As the name implies, MINI will sell cars directly to customers. There will be no room to haggle as vehicles will be available at fixed prices across the country. Dealers are still going to play a role since they’ll earn a fixed commission by finalizing the deal.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2023/11/20/m...elayed-report/

Model for the future or dystopian nightmare?
Seems like a lot of folks on this forum relish the battle for the best deal.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Model for the future or dystopian nightmare?
Seems like a lot of folks on this forum relish the battle for the best deal.

I like to get a good deal only because I know dealers are trying to fuck me over and a "better deal" can be had. Also most of my cars are bought used so that's a totally different ball game. However I would prefer to just be able to buy a car like I buy anything else and not leave thinking I'm getting fucked.

I remember when my mom bought her corolla. I helped her buy it because I had to because dealers are utter scum bags. This was a while ago so I don't remember the numbers exactly, however she said she had been talking to some dealer and they had agreed on a price (which I thought was a fine price). So we go finish the deal... OMFG! Obviously the deal was a lie, the price was totally different, they didn't even have the car she wanted etc. It was so ridiculous I tell her let's go these people are scummy garbage. The sales guy start telling her how she shouldn't listen to me, that I'm crazy, they are giving her an amazing deal. The pond scum litterly follows us out to the car yelling.

Why would anyone want that?

We drove like an hour aways to another dealer who gave her a better deal than the original "deal" she had negotiated with the other dealer.

[allinon72]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

MINI Direct Sales Model Delayed In Germany:
Loved or loathed by brick-and-mortar dealers, direct sales have been in the planning stages at the BMW Group for years. However, the agency model is going to take a bit longer than planned for MINI in Germany, according to a new report from Automobilwoche.
As planned, the agency model will be rolled out on January 1, 2024, in Sweden, Poland, and Italy. Additional countries throughout Europe are going to follow, and as previously announced, direct sales are not planned for the United States or Australia. The core BMW brand will adopt this strategy on the Old Continent from 2026.
But what exactly are direct sales? As the name implies, MINI will sell cars directly to customers. There will be no room to haggle as vehicles will be available at fixed prices across the country. Dealers are still going to play a role since they’ll earn a fixed commission by finalizing the deal.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2023/11/20/m...elayed-report/

Model for the future or dystopian nightmare?
Seems like a lot of folks on this forum relish the battle for the best deal.

The car buying experience in the US is certainly ripe for disruption. The problem - dealership networks are so entrenched, sometimes reinforced by state laws, that the manufacturers themselves are damn near powerless to get away without significant legal battles.

That being said, even those who enjoy the haggling would agree that there's no, NO reason to be at the dealership for hours on end just to buy a car via an archaic model.

[Donatello.]

Originally Posted by allinon72

The car buying experience in the US is certainly ripe for disruption. The problem - dealership networks are so entrenched, sometimes reinforced by state laws, that the manufacturers themselves are damn near powerless to get away without significant legal battles.

That being said, even those who enjoy the haggling would agree that there's no, NO reason to be at the dealership for hours on end just to buy a car via an archaic model.

100% this.

A few weeks ago we picked up my wife's new DD, the CX-5 in my sig, at a dealer. I did all the work online & the deal was done before we drove to the dealer.

Get there & the tires will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. Wear item so whatever, but was not disclosed. I got some money off the deal we worked out prior for it.

Anyway, we were still there for HOURS. Waste of a day. No reason we need to be there all day just to give them money.

On top of that bs, the finance guy was capt hard sell on all the warranties.

No wonder these clowns have the negative reputation they have. Well deserved......

[RM7]

Anyone on the outside can see that dealerships right now are like Hastings/Blockbuster 20 years ago. The end is in sight due to internet and the ease of finding information, like their tactics and shenanigans. They will be designed out of the system if they don't find a way to remain relevant, such as 100% service-centers, etc. Because they are so entrenched, yeah, it may take a little while, but there's no way that model is sustainable in the long term now. Tesla has shown the end is in sight.

[spicyB48]

I would consider buying a car on Amazon, but NOT a Hyundai. Amazon would just be another car dealership in that case.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

TrueCar runs a program through Sam's Club so the so as ususl I think the distinction is in the details.
https://samsclub.truecar.com/samsclub-landing/

IMO all these runarounds result in higher consumer cost. There is one good way to have a better experience at an Automotive Dealership. Know what is a good deal and what you can afford and what your trade in is worth. If you don't get what you want just walk out. Leave the auto sales person pissed and not you.

This.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by allinon72

The car buying experience in the US is certainly ripe for disruption. The problem - dealership networks are so entrenched, sometimes reinforced by state laws, that the manufacturers themselves are damn near powerless to get away without significant legal battles.

That being said, even those who enjoy the haggling would agree that there's no, NO reason to be at the dealership for hours on end just to buy a car via an archaic model.

The Saturn Company launched with just that sales model, no negotiation off the manufacturer's retail price. Didn't work.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The Saturn Company launched with just that sales model, no negotiation off the manufacturer's retail price. Didn't work.

In fact, the buying public, though the business model is what drew them into the dealership and is what they said they wanted, disliked the model in practice so much that after a relatively short time GM had lots of trouble keeping their dealers in line to hold to the model, because they started going back to the negotiation model to satisfy their customers. Their customers, who said they wanted one thing, but when push came to shove they didn’t.